Eternal Life: Starting with Refreshing the Farmland

As the seasons changed, spring arrived, and flowers bloomed.

Qin Ming had already finished tilling his five acres of spirit fields and had replanted them with spirit rice.

This time, he used the "Mother Seed - Beast Tooth Rice" entry he had obtained previously.

The seeds contained within this entry were just enough to plant one acre of spirit field.

This year, a tense atmosphere hung among the spirit farmers.

Everyone worked tirelessly, fearing they might fall behind.

Du Haifu inspected the mountain fields, nodding with a satisfied expression.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two months had passed.

The spirit rice in Qin Ming's fields began to grow taller.

Yet, he sat on the edge of the field, staring blankly at the ground, his face clouded with worry.

The good news was that, under the constant support of his Intermediate Spirit Rain Technique, the four acres of Golden Spirit Rice were growing well, and he had managed to unlock three entries, one of which was the long-desired "Accelerated Growth" entry.

**[Name]**: Golden Spirit Rice **[Entry]**: Accelerated Growth (Maturity 26%)

**[Name]**: Golden Spirit Rice **[Entry]**: Weak Spiritual Power (Maturity 35%)

**[Name]**: Golden Spirit Rice **[Entry]**: Weak Spiritual Power (Maturity 28%)

The bad news was that the one acre of "Beast Tooth Rice" he had planted showed no signs of growth, not even a single sprout.

"What could have gone wrong?" he wondered.

"I followed the methods in the spirit planting manual exactly. I even used the Intermediate Spirit Rain Technique frequently."

"Could this be a total loss?"

Another two months passed.

The first harvest of the year was completed.

Qin Ming's one acre of "Beast Tooth Rice" remained barren, with nothing growing.

This season, he harvested seven stones and thirty pounds of Golden Spirit Rice.

In his spiritual sea, he gained another green "Accelerated Growth" entry and two white "Weak Spiritual Power" entries.

When Du Haifu learned that Qin Ming had planted Beast Tooth Rice in that field, he didn't scold him.

Instead, he patted Qin Ming's shoulder and patiently advised, "Young Qin, wouldn't it be better to just stick to growing Golden Spirit Rice?"

"Why waste your spirit stones like this?"

"Even first-tier spirit planters in the sect rarely succeed in cultivating Beast Tooth Rice."

"The risk is too high. Don't aim too high too soon!"

"Beast Tooth Rice usually takes three months to sprout. It's been four months, and there's still no sign of growth. It's unlikely to succeed now."

"This season, your spirit rice yield ranks you outside the top two hundred."

Qin Ming wasn't too worried about his ranking, as he had the entries to rely on, giving him confidence.

However, he felt a bit unwilling to give up on the Beast Tooth Rice.

He worried that if he used the "Accelerated Growth" entry and it still didn't grow, he would lose both the entry and the rice.

One day, during a peaceful moment, Qin Ming finally decided to use his only "Accelerated Growth" entry on the one acre of Beast Tooth Rice field.

After a long wait, under Qin Ming's anxious gaze, a tender green sprout broke through the soil.

"It worked!" Qin Ming's eyes lit up with joy, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

Soon, the Beast Tooth Rice seedlings grew rapidly, reaching about two inches in height before stopping.

The accelerated growth effect in the spirit field gradually faded, and the Beast Tooth Rice stopped its rapid growth.

"It seems that higher-grade spirit plants require more 'Accelerated Growth' entries."

"This time, I'll have to wait slowly. The maturation period for Beast Tooth Rice is at least three years."

"I'll continue growing Golden Spirit Rice for now. If I'm lucky enough to get another 'Accelerated Growth' entry, I can harvest a batch of Beast Tooth Rice early!"

"It took so long to sprout, I thought the seeds were bad."

Qin Ming was also curious about what entries the first-tier spirit plant, Beast Tooth Rice, would unlock.

He looked at the spirit field, and three entries shone brightly.

**[Name]**: Beast Tooth Rice **[Entry]**: Advanced Spirit Rain Technique x5 (Maturity 7%)

**[Name]**: Beast Tooth Rice **[Entry]**: Quality Enhancement x1 (Maturity 5%)

**[Name]**: Beast Tooth Rice **[Entry]**: Accelerated Growth x5 (Maturity 5%)

"Jackpot! Hahaha!"

Qin Ming leaped up from the edge of the field, excited by the three powerful entries.

Advanced Spirit Rain Technique!

Specially designed for high-grade spirit plants, its rain effect far surpasses that of the Intermediate Spirit Rain Technique.

Most importantly, any spirit plant watered by the Advanced Spirit Rain Technique, as long as it's below first-tier high-grade, will have its yield doubled!

Among the spirit farmers, no one had mastered this technique yet. Only a few spirit planters in the Spirit Feather Sect could perform it.

Ten days later.

Du Haifu stood dumbfounded as he looked at Qin Ming's spirit field.

After repeatedly checking, he confirmed that the green sprouts with unique red patterns in the field were indeed Beast Tooth Rice leaves.

"You actually managed to cultivate it successfully," Du Haifu said, looking at Qin Ming with a complex expression, unsure of what else to say.

...

A few more days passed.

Qin Ming went out again.

"With the Beast Tooth Rice successfully cultivated, it's just a matter of time now. I should go find a body refining technique."

"The world of cultivation is unpredictable, and my spiritual root aptitude is too poor. My cultivation speed is slow, so I need some means to protect myself."

Qin Ming had a clear goal and understood the importance of preparing for the worst.

At the center of the bustling market, in the Gathering Pavilion.

"Brother Qin, you're here?" Manager Liao greeted him warmly.

"Brother Qin, please come to the private room on the fourth floor. Let's chat over some tea."

"Someone, prepare a pot of top-grade Spirit Mist Tea."

After more than a year of interaction, though Qin Ming hadn't visited the Gathering Pavilion many times, the amount of spirit rice he sold each time had been increasing.

At the very least, it was clear that he had become a stable and experienced spirit farmer.

As the manager of the Gathering Pavilion, Manager Liao had a keen eye for talent.

Moreover, Manager Liao had received some news a couple of days ago that had surprised even him, despite his usual calm and composed demeanor.

Qin Ming followed Manager Liao upstairs, taking in the spacious and elegantly decorated private room, which exuded a classical and high-end atmosphere.

He was somewhat surprised.

As usual, he took out two large bags of Golden Spirit Rice from his storage bag and placed them on the table.

"Same as before, two bags. Please weigh them, Manager."

Manager Liao smiled and quickly weighed and inspected the rice.

"Two stones and ten pounds of Golden Spirit Rice."

"Brother Qin, here are seventy spirit stones. Please check them."

Qin Ming frowned. Why were there so many more spirit stones?

He asked, "Manager, what's the meaning of this?"

Manager Liao quickly explained, "Recently, the price of spirit rice in the market is about to rise. It's just a matter of days. Since you're a regular customer, I took the liberty of paying you at the higher price."

"The price is rising?"

"Manager Liao, the price of Golden Spirit Rice has always been stable. Why is it suddenly increasing?"

"Has something happened?" Qin Ming asked, feigning calmness while probing for information.

Manager Liao handed the spirit stones to Qin Ming and glanced out the window.

He then took out a soundproofing talisman and cast a soundproof barrier in the room before speaking cautiously, "The Spirit Feather Sect's expedition team discovered a paradise deep in the Yunze Wilderness, complete with a third-tier spirit vein!"

A third-tier spirit vein?

Qin Ming, a low-level cultivator, had only read about such things in books. His heart stirred with excitement.

"But that place is occupied by a savage tribe of thousands. Those barbarians are fearless and fierce warriors, practicing techniques vastly different from those of regular cultivation sects. The Spirit Feather Sect's expedition team suffered heavy losses."

"Originally, they planned to request reinforcements from the sect, but the news was leaked and intercepted by the Golden Cloud Valley."

"A third-tier spirit vein!"

"Golden Cloud Valley was naturally envious and immediately sent a large number of disciples to ambush and destroy the Spirit Feather Sect's teleportation array connecting to Qingyang Market."

"They also severed the supply line between the Spirit Feather Sect and Qingyang Market."

Manager Liao observed Qin Ming's shocked reaction, which was exactly what he had expected, and continued, "With such a long supply line, the Spirit Feather Sect is likely to suffer greatly this time."

"The conflict between the Spirit Feather Sect and Golden Cloud Valley will not be resolved anytime soon. It could last anywhere from three to five years, or even decades."

"As a result, not only will the prices of daily necessities like spirit rice and meat rise, but other cultivation resources will also become more expensive."

Qin Ming listened to Manager Liao's words, taking a long time to process the information. A sense of foreboding loomed in his heart.

'No wonder the Spirit Feather Sect has been sending even spirit farmers to the front lines...'

...

"I heard that those savages are skilled at controlling demonic beasts. A group of escaped demonic beasts broke through the Spirit Feather Sect's defenses and are now at large. Brother Qin, you should be careful when traveling and avoid going too far."

After saying this, Manager Liao invited Qin Ming to sit down.

"Come, try this Spirit Mist Tea from the Yunze Wilderness. It's quite beneficial for Qi Refinement cultivators."

Qin Ming politely accepted the tea and took a sip.

The tea left a fragrant aftertaste, and its spiritual essence was soothing.

Qin Ming knew that Manager Liao had laid the groundwork with all that information, seemingly trying to win him over.

Now, it was time to discuss the main matter.

(End of Chapter)